# Checkmate vs Strings

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Strings at none against Checkmate's 2. Strings also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 26.0). Checkmate's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Checkmate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Strings asks for nothing beyond the download.

Checkmate ships an update every 4 days, Strings fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Checkmate | Strings |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (995 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkmate-scan-your-friends/id6443729738/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **995** | — |
| Positive reviews | 31.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 39 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Marriage Pact](https://appshunter.io/developer/1597673980) | [Strings Media Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1353482569) |

## What reviewers say

### Checkmate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkmate-scan-your-friends/id6443729738)

Discover your compatibility with friends and potential partners. Answer questions about yourself and scan others to receive AI-calculated long-term odds for your relationships. Explore your best matches with this unique social networking tool.

**Highlights:** Answer personal questions, Scan friends and others, AI compatibility calculation, Long-term relationship odds, Match evaluation data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Checkmate Gold | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Checkmate Gold | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Fun and interactive app
- 👍 Great UI/UX design
- 💡 Interesting concept of personality matching

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 📵 Account/login issues
- 🤖 Inaccurate compatibility results
- 🚫 Inability to delete account or change answers

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to receive verification codes
- Inability to answer new questions due to errors
- Onboarding issues and lost progress
- Compatibility scans not working for many users

**Requested features**

- Add MBTI or personality type feature
- Allow users to search and add friends
- Implement a 'send all' option for questions
- Add privacy controls for scan updates
- Improve retrospective analysis of compatibility


### Strings

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strings/id6758277180)

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Checkmate free?

Checkmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Strings free?

Strings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Checkmate or Strings have ads?

Neither Checkmate nor Strings shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Checkmate or Strings?

Checkmate ships an update every 4 days, and Strings fortnightly. Most recently, Checkmate was updated on October 20, 2026 and Strings on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*